Once you get to know her, it seems like there’s nothing Melrose Michaels can’t do. She wears many hats—content creator, entrepreneur, educator, businesswoman, influencer, and more. She is like the Beyoncé of sex work. And she does it all with poise and grace. From Networthy, her clothing line made by sex workers for sex workers, to her work with SexWorkCEO, Melrose Michaels takes productivity to a new level. And since today is International Women’s Day and the theme this year is “Accelerate Action,” we thought she would be a perfect fit for a Model Spotlight. Keep reading to learn what 24 hours in the life of Melrose Michaels is like, from her businesses to her productive schedule to the women who have influenced her, there is plenty to discover here.
First things first, tell us how you got started in the industry.
I first discovered the adult industry while working two jobs and attending community college. I was working at a bank during the week and attending school while gogo dancing at a nightclub downtown for extra cash on the weekends. There was a point when the dancers I worked with all started retiring their bikinis and furry boots, when I finally asked, why are they all quitting? And it turned out many of them had begun live webcam modeling on an adult streaming platform. I immediately started researching the website, watching all the top performers and decided to try it. That was back in October of 2011, nearly 13 years ago.
From camming to becoming a founder of SexWorkCEO, what was the motivation behind this company and what would you like our community to know about the resources and tools available to them?
Starting as an independent creator in the adult industry, I learned through trial and error, with no courses, guides, or advocates to help navigate or influence policy. After surviving and thriving, I felt compelled to give back to the industry that built me. That’s how SexWorkCEO was born—offering education, tools, and resources to empower more adult entrepreneurs to succeed and advocate for the industry. Currently, SexWorkCEO offers course videos, podcasts, blogs, and a closed community full of resources and education—entirely for free. Beyond that, we recently launched our first technology product, GPTΞASΞ, an adult-friendly ChatGPT-like interface where creators can get assistance captioning their posts, scripting their videos, and whatever else their creative minds can think of, all without dealing with restrictive content policies they face with other AI products.
You’re an incredibly busy woman. How do you manage being an entrepreneur, businesswoman, influencer, and content creator?
First, I think it's important to make a distinction between "busy" and "productive.” There are lots of busy people who never produce results or bring their visions to fruition. I think that single distinction has helped me juggle a lot if I'm being honest. I am intentional and very protective over my time and where I allocate it, and I audit this constantly. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but some people seem to get so much more out of them. The things those people spend their time on move the mission closer to the goalpost. They are higher-leverage activities. I try to focus my efforts on only those types of result-producing activities at this point. Everything else gets delegated or outsourced so I don't split focus.
A very good point indeed, time management is vital. We have to say congratulations on winning WIA Woman of the Year at the 2024 XBIZ Exec Honors Awards! What was your reaction when you got the news?
Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I still can't believe that happened to be honest. I wasn't expecting to win anything, so I was enjoying myself at the bar while cheering on all my friends who were winning their awards when suddenly, my name got called! Before I knew it, I was on stage in front of a microphone (which historically doesn't mix well with wine for most people), so I just said a quick thank you and exited stage right. I wish I'd been more prepared, honestly, because there are so many people I wanted to thank. There are so many executives that put me in rooms I had no business being in. Or gave me seats at tables I hadn't yet earned. I am very privileged to have been mentored and have had access to people in this space who held doors open so I could walk through them. Nothing I've done would've been possible without this.
We’re sure they’re proud of you and know you’re grateful! Let’s talk about International Women’s Day (IWD). How do you like to participate and show up for other women?
I believe it’s all about celebrating and amplifying women’s voices, especially in spaces like ours. Adult content creation has been a really empowering and healing pursuit for me. It taught me so much about myself, and this seems to be a shared experience for a lot of women doing this work. I think making sure those stories get told, heard, and amplified is the contribution I can make that matters, so that's what I try to do.
The IWD theme for this year is “Accelerate Action” for gender equality—how does this resonate with you?
I think the point of this specific theme is to encourage individuals, organizations, and governments to take decisive steps in areas like economic empowerment and leadership roles for women. Accelerating action is the request to impose progress more quickly so that it's seen and felt by the world in a meaningful way. This resonates with me personally because I built my company SexWorkCEO exclusively with women. Either current or former sex workers, adult performers, adult creator assistants, etc. These are mothers, daughters, sisters, and so many other things to so many people. I take a lot of pride in uplifting other women, creating opportunities for them in the small ways I can, and try to help them grow and develop into whatever it is they want to be and achieve. I think being a part of the changes you want to see isn't just a nice quote, but rather a responsibility and it's one I take seriously.
Absolutely! Who are some of the women who have inspired or mentored you?
Gosh there's so many! Megan Stokes from NMG, Salima from Paper Street Media, Liz Rek from Streamate, Andra Chirnogeanu from Cam4, Alison Boden from Free Speech Coalition, Holly Ruprecht from Playboy, Leah fom XBIZ, Leya from Pineapple Support. I could continue. There really have been so many women who've given me space in this industry and stood in my corner while I proved myself. Their support and confidence in me has been a lifeline and they aren't the only ones. I would add that there have been a lot of really outstanding men who've also inspired or mentored me along the way as well.
You posted a YouTube video where you dismantled the three pillars of Age Verification Laws in under 5 minutes. In the 9 months since you posted that, what impact has it had and what have you seen change in states that adopted those laws?
In the states that have passed useless policies like age verification, the only results you see are increased uses of VPNs and traffic that was going to ethically uploaded adult sites being funneled to websites that don't ethically upload and distribute content. Bad sites, the unregulated ones with bad stuff on them. It doesn't protect children, it doesn't make the internet safer, and it poses extreme privacy risks when you are being forced to upload your ID to a third-party verification website on the internet. 34,000 views later, I am now living in the repercussions of the policy I couldn't prevent. I live in the state of Tennessee, and the age verification laws here come with criminal consequences. I made that video in an attempt to bring awareness and attention to what was at stake with this type of legislation while trying to explain why it's an ineffective policy as a whole. While it didn't impact my reality in the way I'd hoped, because the law still got passed, it did make an impact in other ways. I get told often by companies in the adult space that that video has been passed around internally to educate their staff and C-suites on the topic. I get tons of comments and DMs from creators who are being exposed to that information for the first time. And I hear through the grapevine that organizations like Free Speech Coalition have passed the video along through their channels to educate others as well. So, that's not nothing. I think that video matters, probably more than any other one I've ever made.
We have certainly shared that video to help others understand it from a creator perspective. Speaking of, you are one of the creators and hosts of the podcast, On The Whorizon. Who have been some of your recent standout guests and what’s been a hot topic of discussion lately?
I really enjoy having Mike Stabile on the podcast from The Free Speech Coalition because he educates myself and my audience of adult creators about policy and legislation in such a consumable way. I love having Corey Silverstein on because he helps myself and creators understand the legal definitions and ramifications of the things we're facing. While I've talked to many incredible people on the podcast, including sex workers, creators, professionals, executives, and others, I think these two are so important to amplify right now in our current political climate facing our daunting legislative challenges. I want to make sure creators can access that information and understand it. Because it affects and impacts all of us.
Let’s talk a little about what you like to do for fun. When you aren’t creating content, how do you spend your time?
I really enjoy spending time with my loved ones, hosting 'family game nights,' taking walks through the countryside where I live, and traveling. I don't often find myself with a lot of free time, but when I do, I try to be extremely present and disconnected so I don't miss a moment of it.
What are some of your goals for the next 2-3 years?
I'd like to continue growing our creator community at SexWorkCEO to start. I want to be an industry household name when people think of educational resources and advocacy. I want to get my product GPTΞASΞ into as many creator's hands as possible, and I want to help make a difference in our space, whether that's creating another video about policy, or standing in front of congress. I want to be someone who solves hard problems in this industry, and I'm looking forward to the challenge it'll bring.
If you have been influenced and motivated by Melrose Michaels and want to be empowered by education, resources, and community growth, we encourage you to check out SexWorkCEO. You will find tools to enhance your business skills and contribute to a positive change within the industry, and more.
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